Skip to main content
jail delivery

jail delivery

9.9
People use force to free prisoners from jail
  • noun
  • /dʒeɪl dɪˈlɪvəri/
  • NSFW
translation icon : liberación de la cárcel
  • The recent jail delivery shocked the entire community.

Examples

  • The gang planned a jail delivery to free their leader from incarceration.

  • Authorities are investigating a jail delivery that occurred last night.

  • After the jail delivery, the authorities launched a massive manhunt for the fugitives.

  • The judge described the jail delivery as a serious threat to the rule of law.

  • The outlaws staged a jail delivery in the middle of the night, helping their leader escape.

  • Authorities were alerted about the potential jail delivery and increased security around the prison.

  • During the strike, a jail delivery occurred, and several inmates escaped through the back entrance.

Synonyms

jailbreak
vsjail delivery
5 7.3

A planned or forced escape from prison

uses force specifically to free inmates rather than just escape
prison-breaking
vsjail delivery
9.1

An escape from prison done by force or secret planning

focuses on using force to free inmates rather than stealth alone
jailbreaking
vsjail delivery
8.0

An act of leaving prison illegally or helping others leave prison

involves force to free inmates rather than just assistance or covert plans

Antonyms

incarceration
  • Formal
85 8.0

Being kept in prison as punishment

How Forceful

to raid
66 4.1
jail delivery
  • NSFW
9.9
breakout
18 7.1
escape
320 1.1

Surface Forms

jail delivery singular

Morphology

jail + delivery

The sense 'forcible release of inmates' is not a straightforward composition of 'jail' (prison) and 'delivery' (commonly 'the act of bringing or handing over'); 'delivery' does not typically mean 'release'. This is a rare/legal collocation with an unexpected, idiomatic sense, so an average B1 learner who knows the parts would probably not infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Jail delivery may come from the older use of deliver or delivery meaning 'to set free'. Imagine people breaking into a jail and carrying prisoners out through the gate; that strong picture explains why the phrase means using force to free inmates today.